Scars with Lovely Memories
by Steele Stingray
Summary: Squall and Rinoa's wedding, I guess, because it's good to write short happy stories once in a while. Just a oneshot to revisit the lovely cast of FF8 and imagine them a bit older. Will there be a happy ending? Always. Rated M for [insert creative innuendo for sex]


** Author's Note: **First one-shot in a while? I think so! I don't understand why I enjoy writing about weddings so much, but here comes another one. For this one, please imagine Dion Rogers Rinoa and Kingdom Hearts Squall, as they look a lot older than the original FF versions. Enjoy people!

**Scars with Lovely Memories**

Squall disliked wearing his dress uniform, his long brown hair resting heavy on the high, charcoal collar of his jacket. The smooth strands half-covered the intricate silver and blue shoulder pads and his wiry muscles strained against the belts strapped across his waist and chest. He resisted the urge to click his booted heels as Seifer barked at him:

"Stop fidgeting!"

Squall clenched his jaw and forced himself to remain still as Seifer and Zell went over his uniform with lint-rollers and lighters, making sure that there were no loose threads or dirt on his outfit. Irvine, as unhelpful as usual, stood in front of the mirror, braiding his wavy red-brown hair. Even standing amidst his groomsmen, Squall was unspeakably nervous, though it did not show on his fine face.

Zell, his best man, and Seifer, once his rival and now one of his best friends, also wore their See-D dress clothes, theirs were Prussian blue. They could have passed for brothers at least, and looked very good flanking him (according to Rinoa), as their sleek blond hair and pale skin off-set Squall's darker features. Irvine (his last, and most troublesome groomsman) was the odd man out as he was the only non-See-D, but still looked sharp in his slightly disheveled suit; his trait of making even the most rumpled of clothes look effortlessly suave, inspired both awe and jealousy in Squall. They chattered around him, Irvine and Zell with the most noise, but Squall could not discern words at this point. His palms were sweating.

Seifer noticed and glared up, his impertinent mouth curving up in a smile but his sky blue eyes serious. "If I see you wipe your hands on your pants, I will assassinate you."

Lazily, Irvine tossed a lavender handkerchief over his shoulder, Squall catching it deftly before it hit the ground. "Don't be so nervous, Squall! You'll look like a pussy if you faint at you own wedding. Hardly an inspiring commander." Irvine's violet eyes flashed with jest, but the brief burst of anger Squall felt made him less nervous.

He wiped his palms on the smooth fabric. "I'll be sure to say the same thing when you're about to get married."

Irvine snorted as he admired his finished appearance (he really was quite vain). "Marriage. I shudder to think of the prospect! It would be the death of me. I love all women. How could I choose just one?"

Zell and Seifer rolled their almost identical blue eyes in unison.

"You're done." Zell said, standing up to his full height and stepping back to look at Squall. Once one of the shortest members on Squall's team, Zell had encountered a late growth spurt and was now one of the tallest See-D's in commission. He smiled kindly. "You look really good, commander. Really sharp."

Squall adjusted his lion-shaped cuff links. "Will Rinoa approve?"

"She had better!" Seifer exclaimed, also moving away to admire his handiwork. "I put my sweat and blood into your appearance." Rinoa and Seifer, far in the distant past had once been involved with each other, but that was all forgotten, as Seifer had been indispensible to the relationship between Squall and Rinoa. Without Seifer, Squall did not think he could have found the backbone to propose. "Even now I wonder if Noa can measure up."

Squall felt himself turning red. "Rinoa is always beautiful…"

"As are you commander," Irvine laughed. He was rewarded with glares from Seifer and Squall. "Alright, this is it. Enjoy your last moments as a bachelor! Oh, calm down! For God's sake, you'll be fine."

Squall squared his shoulders and set his jaw, but he felt his heart trembling.

He nearly jumped out of his skin when the door was unceremoniously thrown open, before bouncing off the metal wall. However, all four of them were too unflappable to ever be startled by something of that sort, although Seifer glared coldly.

"Sorry about that, ya know!" Raijin gasped, inspecting the dent the doorknob had made in the wall. He grinned sheepishly at the group. One of Seifer's best friends, Raijin had once fought again Squall, but he was now (funnily enough) a White Mage, and was to be the chaplain of the wedding. His hulking dark frame looked rather odd in the delicate white robes he wore.

"We ready?" Irvine asked, taking one last look at himself in the mirror.

"Are you ready, commander?" Zell asked, patting Squall on the shoulder.

Squall jammed his hand down his pocket, relaxing slightly when his hot fingers found the silver band nestled at the bottom. No one could ever be truly ready for such an event, but he wanted to do this.

"Let's go," He murmured.

The halls of Balamb Gardens were unusually well decorated today; Squall had to credit Selphie's club (he could never remember the name) for draping every available space with wildflowers and silver and blue ribbon. All the paintings and awards had been taken down and replaced with brand new mirrors, which Irvine was making full use of, looking at himself in every reflective surface they passed. With every passing step, Squall heard the soft murmur of a _lot _of people, which didn't help to assuage his fears. It had to be expected though. Rinoa was very popular, with a lot of friends, and Squall had seemingly a million acquaintances as a Balamb commander. It was too bad his fiancée and all of his friends were whores for attention, because Squall would have much preferred a smaller affair.

When they came to the final turn in the hallway before entering the master audience chamber, Raijin stopped them.

"All right. Seifer, Zell and Irvine you head that way to meet up with the ladies, you know. Squall, you're coming with me."

All of them gave sharp, quick nods, evidence of their military upbringing.

"Good luck, Squall!" Zell exclaimed, giving Squall a brief hug, but letting go when he felt Squall stiffen. "We'll see you again before you know it!"

"You'll do fine." Irvine said dismissively. "Just stand up there and look pretty."

Seifer's icy eyes twinkled. "If you wipe you hands on your pants…I _will _kill you."

Squall sighed. "Truly you all do know how to inspire courage." This comment earned him a laugh from everyone before they parted ways, leaving Squall alone with Raijin.

"Are you nervous?" Raijin asked, as they set out for the audience chamber. Over the years, he had begun to lose the habit of saying 'you know' at the end of his sentences, but his wide smile had not lost any of its' power. "You shouldn't be, you know. She is gorgeous."

"I know." Squall said, feeling a small smile creep onto his lips.

Rinoa Heartilly. His first, last, and only girlfriend. Even now he could not fathom what his life would be like without her. She was everything to him. He liked her passions, her ideas, her strengths and her flaws and he was always thrilled when he thought about the fact that he would never have to be apart from her for a single day. He lived only for her.

At the near incessant prodding of Seifer, Squall had taken it upon himself to propose to her late in the summer, not long after his birthday. It was the most frightening moment of his life, (never mind the fact that he had asked her terrifying father's permission beforehand). He had come back from his mission in Esthar, dressed in full military regalia, smelling of smoke and sweat and exhaustion; it had been a dangerous mission. As a commander, he felt nearly obligated to take the most violent of assignments, a practice Rinoa wholly despised. He hadn't been sure that he, Seifer, Zell, and Quistis would return intact. But they had, and he could remember so clearly the sight of Balamb Gardens resting in the distance.

She had been the first one out of the entrance, the blue sashes at her hips flying out behind her like streamers as she ran. Squall had simply dropped everything that had been in his hands and opened his tired arms, waiting patiently.

She whimpered as she collided with him, heavy as a sack of feathers. Squall was exhausted, but wrapped his arms around her bare, tiny waist and buried his nose in her hair. After an unfortunate accident involving a badly directed Fire spell, Rinoa had been forced to cut most of her lush sable hair off, and it was now shorter than Squall's, but it was still soft and smooth as silk. He had pressed his nose into her hair and breathed in so deeply, he became dizzy on the scent of her shampoo.

She refused to let him see her face, which meant she was probably crying. "You're late." He heard the clink of the two rings around her neck. She never took them off. They had been around her neck for years now.

Squall ran his bare, calloused hands down the length of her spine. "I know."

"I hate you right now." Her voice was at once, watery and angry. Her small hands were clenched into fists.

Squall squeezed her harder. "I know."

He felt the warm water seeping through his uniform. "Th-they said you…might not come back this time…"

Squall's heart cracked a little. "I…I know…"

She tilted her head up so that she was looking at him, and the tears ran out the corners of her eyes down to her ears. "Can't you say anything else?" She was at once happy and furious and upset.

Despite his fatigue, Squall swept her up into the air. She seemed to want to push him away at first, but finally wrapped her arms around the top of his head, effectively pressing his face into the center of her chest. He rubbed her lower back. "I'm not going again. I'm not. Don't cry."

"Liar." She whispered, smoothing the soot out of his hair.

"I'm not." Squall made the decision right as his heart began to beat unevenly at the fear of such an idea. "I'm going to stay with you…I want to…I want to marry you."

Rinoa stopped moving before giving a giant hiccup and pulling quite hard at his hair. "You idiot…"She then began to punch him just hard enough that he flinched; she was obviously unsure of what to do. Squall knew the feeling

Seifer had walked past with the cat-like grin cutting a white crescent across his face. "I'm afraid he's perfectly serious, Noa. He wouldn't shut up about you for the entire trip. What was it commander?" Squall hoped his blue-gray eyes blazed with warning, but Seifer continued on, nonplussed. Despite the fact that Squall had gotten more talkative with every passing year, Seifer was a better talker. "Something like 'I'm not leaving her again'?"

Squall rolled his eyes and Rinoa punched harder. His heart had been going wild this whole time.

"So…what do you say?" He asked quietly, pressing his head hard into the soft curve of her chest. He could hear her heartbeat and was pleased to note that it was just as fast as his.

Rinoa gasped for air, sounding very unladylike. "Of course, I will! Stupid…" She had sounded almost insulted that he had doubted her and Squall gave a sigh of relief.

The next few months had been a chaotic blur, but everything had worked out to their advantage, and it was now spring. Squall looked up to see a vibrant patch of blue sky through the glass roof. It did not calm him in the least.

"How many people are inside?" He asked Raijin, not entirely sure if he wanted to hear the answer.

"Everyone. On the face of the planet, you know."

"Great…" Squall groaned.

It was with great reluctance that he set foot across the threshold of the audience chamber. There was a warm amber glow filling the whole place, as sunlight filtered in through the glass windows. It smelled almost overpoweringly of flowers and there was a dull roar from the sheer number of people chatting inside. Raijin had not been lying. It looked as though most of the population had shown up for this wedding. Squall wanted to be sick, but remembered Seifer's threat if he dirtied his dress uniform.

"Do you want to hide?" Raijin asked kindly, taking note of Squall's discomfort and perhaps remembering his extreme hatred of crowds.

Squall regarded Raijin's mountainous form. "Yes, please."

Still, Squall realized too late, that Raijin himself, combined with his elaborate robes, drew just as much attention on his own than if Squall had walked down the center aisle by himself. He crushed himself up behind Raijin, cringing as he heard the murmurs dull slightly.

The center stage was woefully empty and open, and although Raijin swept ahead without so much as a pause, Squall stopped short behind one of the marble pillars and composed himself. Going on missions were easier. After a few long, deep breaths, Squall steeled himself and walked out into the light.

Sitting somewhere near the front was a large group of See-Ds, cadets, officers, commanders, all of whom Squall had either trained with, trained under, or was currently training. They all burst into an earsplitting roar of approval and Squall felt his ears turn red as they cheered. Still, they gave him enough confidence to cross the stage and clicked his booted heels together. One bead of sweat ran down the back of his neck.

"Are you ok?" Raijin asked.

"I…don't think I can talk now…" Squall replied. The thousands of eyes on him made him feel like he was about to be sick.

It felt like he was standing at the altar for hours. The only respite was when he looked up briefly to see the brilliant blue of the sky. That blue was Rinoa's favorite color…

It took him completely by surprise when the See-D military guards standing by the doors yanked them open. It surprised him so much that he very nearly fainted; Squall was a little angry with himself after he became composed. He could charge into battlefields, fearless as a lion, but this wedding had him as weak-kneed as a child. He steeled himself, running purely on his own determination.

Most of the people in attendance were soldiers or former military personnel, so the moment the doors opened, they were standing up at attention, hundreds of boot heels clicking together. Everyone else stood up much slower, but all attention was off of Squall.

Now that he wasn't quite so nervous, Squall could pick out individual faces in the crowd.

He could see Cid and Edea Kramer sitting very close to the front, Cid already looking visibly touched. Edea towered over him in her heels; while Cid was short, stumpy, and cheerful, Edea was thin as a blade and much more reserved. Also near the front was the very president of Esthar, Laguna Loire, his sable hair graying slightly; next to him was Squall's 'big sister' Ellone, who stood out in her favorite bright yellow. Teachers, classmates, comrades, even Zell's adoptive parents had turned up.

There was a short blast of trumpets and Squall saw the familiar flash of blond.

Seifer was first into the audience chamber, with his other best friend, Fujin, on his arm. She wore a dark Prussian blue sundress to match Seifer's uniform (looking extremely uncomfortable doing so), with her silver hair curled and waved over her one blind eye. Fujin looked just as uncomfortable as Squall as she shook in her short heels; luckily Seifer was most confident in a crowd, and practically dragged her up to the front.

Next up were Irvine and Selphie.

If anyone were to tame the wild beast that was Irvine's libido, it would be Selphie. She stood to her full (unimpressive) height, clutching Irvine's arm with a sort of devilish pride dancing in her dark green eyes. Squall knew it was probably her vengeance on the dozens of Irvine fans in the crowd, wishing they were in her shoes. As if to prove her wicked nature, her red curls bounced insolently as she very nearly strutted to take her place next to Fujin. Selphie and Irvine both winked at Squall. Squall smiled at Selphie and ignored Irvine.

Finally, Quistis and Zell stepped up to the plate and there were brilliant flashes from cameras on all sides (mostly belonging to Quistis' huge fan group and Mama Dincht, who seemed more focused on her son than on anyone else in the wedding). Quistis looked much less intense than usual without her glasses, icy blonde hair hanging almost to her waist, and honestly she and Zell could have passed for siblings they looked so alike.

Squall felt much more confident when everyone was up standing around him, pride and excitement in their eyes. It didn't show so much on their faces, as they had all been trained how to act on auspicious occasions. Only Selphie and Zell seemed to lapse occasionally.

Everyone waited, with bated breath. Squall grinned patiently.

Keep waiting. She was always late.

Squall swore that he heard the clink of the rings before he saw any sign of her, but it was General Caraway that stepped into view first. Although his hair was nothing but silver now, he was still a terrifying individual, as he squared his shoulders and offered his left arm. Squall almost toppled over with excitement when he saw her thin, pale arm grip her father's sleeve.

With the white of her dress and the white of her skin, Rinoa looked even more ethereal than usual. Her eyes seemed dark as sloes and her sable hair gleamed almost black in the shadows, and there were tiny white flowers pinned amidst the dark strands. The only color was in the bright pink of her cheeks and lips and the slight gleam of silver around her neck. She looked almost too perfect to be real. He felt himself grin stupidly, glad that no one was focusing on him at the moment; very few people had heard him speak, much less see him smile.

He relaxed.

Almost in a dream-like state he walked down the steps and outstretched his hand. His fingers trembled as she got closer and closer and she smiled secretively; she knew how much he needed her now. General Caraway took one of Rinoa's small, white hands in one of his own, leading it to Squall's hand. The moment he felt her fingers touching his, she grinned enormously and people in the audience roared with approval. Squall felt his ears go hot.

Never had he felt so proud in his entire life, as he led Rinoa up the steps and stood across from her.

Unable to contain himself, Squall gripped her around the waist and pulled her up so he could plant a quick kiss on her mouth. There were more than a few hoots and hollers as he let her go and she stumbled a little as she stepped back. Raijin attempted to hush the crowd a little so he could start speaking.

Squall tried to pay attention, honestly, he did, but she was just so beautiful that her presence took over the entirety of his senses. He hardly noticed at all as Raijin took up his giant book of spells and began chanting softly the words that would bind Squall and Rinoa together.

Rinoa closed her eyes softly, her black lashes heavy and dark against her cheeks, and Squall took one last look at her before also closing his eyes.

When he opened his eyes, he was in a familiar place: the Time Lapse. Squall recognized the fields of wildflowers and the huge open sky where Rinoa had effectively saved his life so many years ago. There were perks to loving a sorceress.

Now their souls had to reunite properly if they wanted to be bound together. Rinoa would wait for him, standing still wherever she was, and Squall broke into a light jog, trying his best not to crush the flowers underfoot. It was a natural thing to do; he just followed wherever his feet took him. He broke into a sprint when he saw her white form on the horizon, hands folded behind her back. She was waiting for him.

Memories flooded back as he shouted her name; Squall was usually the strong, silent type, but this yell echoed and crashed throughout the whole word it seemed. She was the only one who could make him scream.

She looked towards him, turning her head slowly, as Rinoa was never in a hurry for anything. The moment recognition dawned in her dark irises, that familiar smile tugged at her lips; the one that had cut across her face that very first night they met in the Balamb Gardens' ballroom. It was secretive and sweet, yet almost wicked, like she knew that she would make Squall hers as soon as she saw him. Maybe she _had _always known, and Squall had just been dragged along in her wake.

Seeing that smile spurred him faster, flowers be damned; and upon hearing him breathily call her name again, Rinoa picked up what she could of her voluminous white skirts and began to lessen the distance between them.

Rinoa leaped the last bit of distance between them and Squall skidded on his boot heels in an effort to catch her.

Their chests touched and it seemed like every flower in the field tossed its' petals up into the air, as there was a veritable explosion of yellow and pink petals. Squall couldn't care less. He and Rinoa both laughed openly, their noses touching and hands entwined in each other's hair. They loved finding one another.

"You look nice." She said, grinning broadly as she ran her hands down his chest. Rinoa had always liked his dress uniform.

Squall traced the bridge of her nose with his lips. "And you, my sorceress, are too beautiful." He pushed some of her dark hair behind her ear, only to have it stubbornly flip back out. "I'm worried. What if someone tries to take you from me?"

He was joking, and she knew it.

But heaven knew if someone were to take her from him, for any reason, Squall would tear that offender apart. Rinoa would do the same for him.

"What do we do now?" She asked, looking up at the sky. "I know time works slower in the Lapse than the real world. I'm just so happy. I feel like I haven't seen you in weeks."

Squall leaned in so that he could kiss the soft skin behind her ear and he felt her exhale softly through her mouth. The short blast of air whistled down his collar and sent shivers down Squall's spine. He suddenly understood the need for this dream state.

In Gardens, the tradition of marriage ceremony was very taxing on the couple, particularly if one of them was a member of the military. The two were not allowed to see one another for three days prior to the wedding, and the celebration afterward had to last another two days at least. The couple rarely had a moment alone together.

Realizing this, Squall pressed his palm flat against the base of her neck and slid it up into her soft, fluffy hair. He felt the skin rise up on the back of her neck and she wiggled a little bit in his arms. He liked her hair; it was like the soft down at the very base of feathers and it always smelled nice and clean. He kissed her shoulders.

Rinoa gave a sigh of relief and sort of melted into his embrace, all of her body relaxing against him. Without realizing it himself, Squall relaxed until he was lying flat on his back, with Rinoa curled up on his chest like a cat.

It was like a bolt of lightning hit her when she sat straight up. "Aren't you hot in that?"

Squall laughed. Subtlety was not her strong suit.

"I'm very hot." He admitted (not only because of the sun). "But I'm a too tired to move." He was lying, unashamedly, but Rinoa believed him. She was even faster than he was at getting his uniform off.

She had the jacket and undershirt off in the span of a few minutes and looked admiringly at his bare torso. Even though his white skin was a regular maze of scars, Rinoa very much enjoyed tracing the hard lines where his muscles pushed against his skin. Almost every scar had been seen and fussed over by Rinoa, with some of the more deadly ones on his back warranting tears. The pain he felt at seeing her upset, was worse than the wounds had felt.

He squeezed the soft part of her ribs, right underneath her breasts, and she gave a slight squeak.

"Are you ready to be my wife?" Squall asked, putting his hand over her heart.

Rinoa put her head on his heart, effectively pushing his hand harder against her chest. "What a stupid question." She said softly.

Squall took her under the armpits and hoisted her up his torso so that her head was right next to his. He felt her liquid brown eyes boring into his gray ones before she leaned in to kiss him.


End file.
